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If I take a transitive verb that is not typically used in a pronomial way, does it follow all the same "rules" as verbs typically used in pronomial forms?

That is, in the pronomial versions of the following examples, is it correct to use être as the auxillary verb, and for transitive verbs that take a direct object, to make the past participle agree with the subject?

manger (qch):

  • J'ai mangé la femme en pain d'épices. (Non pronomial form of manger)
  • Il y aurait une femme en pain d'épices. Elle s'est mangée. (Pronomial form of manger)

téléphoner (à qqn)

  • Parce qu'elle a perdu son cellulaire, je lui ai téléphoné pour le retrouver. (Non-pronomial)
  • Parce qu'elle a perdu son cellulaire, je lui ai donné mon cellulaire, et elle s'est téléphoné pour le retrouver. (Pronomial)

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Yes, both sentences are correct.

In your first example, please note your sentence means "she ate herself". If you wanted to say that you ate her, you can use the following instead:

  • Il y aurait une femme en pain d'épices. Elle s'est fait manger.

Other examples with this structure:

  • " se faire laver " : having someone wash you
  • " se faire prier " : having someone beg you (to do something)
  • " se faire voler " : having someone steal you

And so on, any verb will match.

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